Moving To Arizona, maybe.... - by mxleader
mxleader on 27/3/2015 at 14:37
So I was laid off of work at the beginning of March due to "corporate restructure and budget cuts." My wife and I have decided to move from Washington State to Arizona because she has a job promotion which is located in Phoenix. I'm fairly apprehensive about the move since only one of us has a job waiting for us there.
Random_Taffer on 27/3/2015 at 15:34
Sorry to hear about it, man.
I got laid off after 7 years at my job last year due to outsourcing and was unemployed for a few months. It's tough.
Arizona sounds cool, though. I've always wanted to visit the desert.
mxleader on 27/3/2015 at 16:10
I've read a lot of books by Edward Abbey so I'm kind of excited. My biggest worry is the schools down there because they seem small and the test scores are pretty low. My daughter is already learning to speak Spanish so this kind of immersion might be a big help to her someday.
bjack on 27/3/2015 at 16:37
mxleader,
Sorry to hear you were laid off. It happens to many of us. Are you in IT?
Are you currently in the wet part of Washington? I assume you are. If you are used to weather like Seattle, you are in for huge change.
Some of the good:
The Phoenix area is really nice from fall to spring. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do and it rarely rains at all. When it does rain, it is usually monsoon flow from over Mexico and the gulf (warm and humid). The place will start to look and feel a little like Hawaii in some respects.
If you are concerned about school, move to the nicer parts, such as Scottsdale. By no means am I an expert about the area, but we have good friends that live there and they love it.
Some of the not so good:
Starting about now, temps will shoot up into the 100s and stay there. It is usually a dry heat, so 110 in the shade is not as depressing as 95 and 95% humidity.
I've had to go on business in August. You get off the plane and feel the intense heat just walking through the Jetway. You get into the terminal, which is for some reason 65 degrees and chilly, then find your way to the rental car area. It is in a parking garage and about 100 feet or so from the terminal, connected by an open sided, but covered walkway. The split second you open the door to the walkway, you are hit with 113 degree heat. It feels like opening an oven, except it is all over your body. You're glad you wore cotton. You check in and get your car that has been in covered storage. It is still over 100 degrees inside, you can barely touch the wheel, and the seats feel like heating pads. Air comes on full blast and blows HOT for a few seconds, making the profuse sweat you already have become a torrent. :joke:
But once the car cools down, the place it really pretty. Downtown is sort of small if you are used to the big city. The area reminds me of LA, in that is sprawls for miles upon miles. The map of the area is misleading. It looks so compact and small, but the map represents a huge place. It takes over 45 minutes to get to Scottsdale from the southern part of the city. Anyway, everyone has AC. You cannot live without it.
Suggestion:
If you do go, scout out areas first, then rent for a while and get a feeling for the place. In time you will find a great area you love, then buy or rent there. Look for a place with solar panels. I think on electric bill for our friends this last summer was $800! :eek: Solar would do a lot to knock that down.
Best of luck!
Yakoob on 28/3/2015 at 08:31
I finished HS in Arizona (Tucson) and frankly I am not too keen on the state. As I put it, ain't much there except sand, cacti and racism.
On the upside, Phoenix at least is a pretty big city with lots of things to do, so if you end up in the state that's probably the best part of it.
bjack on 29/3/2015 at 01:10
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
Phoenix is the
worst. A bit much perhaps? I would think a little stint in No. Iraq would make you change your mind about what is the "worst". :cheeky:
Yes, there is polarization in AZ, as there is in CA, NM, TX, and almost any border state. We all are forced to take the on 10s of thousands of refugees (un-immunized by the way - can we all say TB? ) from Central and So. America. We, the locals, are expected to take up 100% of the tab. Little to no Fed help. Punch people in the face repeatedly and you do not expect a come back?
Long term Spanish speaking people that live in the area are cool. It is the same in So CA. We have a huge old Mexican heritage that goes further back than our statehood. Some of our Mexican friends here have heritage going back 200 years or more. My white faction only goes back to 1920. They were here first. Many of us respect that. Mexicans on the whole are really cool. Yes there are some crazy gang dudes you do not want to deal with, but those are few and far between.
If anyone tells you the area is full of super racists, then they hang with the wrong crowd. Yes, there are skin head ass holes everywhere.
mxleader, everywhere in America is a terrible racist place according to the media. Love your family, God (if you are inclined to) and country and live where you want. Make the place you go a place of happiness and peace. Best of luck.
Fafhrd on 29/3/2015 at 02:16
You will perhaps note that neither of the stories I linked about how stupid and insane the AZ state government is are about immigration or racism (though a simple googling of Joe Arpaio should give anyone all the ammunition they need about how (generally) fucked up and (specifically) racist Maricopa County law enforcement is).
And Phoenix is the worst because it is literally the worst.
demagogue on 29/3/2015 at 02:39
I have two friends that live/d in Phoenix.
The cosmopolitan one found it pretty depressing and bleak. Her stories are usually about suburban pettiness gone a bad way, and seem to match Faf's take on it. She hates the desert and SW style, likes jazz and CNN, and was built for a city more like NYC.
The consevative one is still there, works as a lawyer, and seems happy. He likes posting about nature hikes, family life, and DIY projects. So I got the idea happiness starts at home for him.
Those are just 2 data points, the only ones I know, but maybe are helpful.
Nicker on 29/3/2015 at 05:06
Displaying my ignorance of and disregard for your geography but regard for Zappa.
[video=youtube;Ialhaxhr7iA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ialhaxhr7iA[/video]